Wheel of Fortune timeline (syndicated)/Season 35
Go back to Season 34? A timeline for Season 35 of Wheel of Fortune, which will air in first-run from September 11, 2017 through June 8, 2018. Note: During the season (September-June), this page is generally updated Monday-Friday around 8:00 PM Eastern, so spoilers may be present for the most recently-aired episode. It is also updated at times from mid-July to mid-September as details of the new season are revealed. Second Note: Any below information regarding episodes that have not yet aired is preliminary and subject to change, with months added as info is released about them. Further, please do not guess and do not add anything to this section past the most recently-aired episode unless it is confirmed. Season Changes * $5K Every Day is retired. Instead, if the $10,000 Mystery Wedge is claimed and won, a Wheel Watchers Club member also wins $10,000, except during the Secret Santa Sweepstakes. * The Bonus Round is altered to have the winning contestant pick one of three categories after the Speed-Up, similar to the main game of Wheel 2000. When the contestant chooses his or her category, each one is shown on a category strip in blue, green, or purple, and the two categories not chosen have their strips "slide" into the one that is chosen. While not seen by the home audience, the three category choices are also displayed on the puzzle board with each preceded by an asterisk. * The opening graphic features a representation of the old (1981-97) trilon board, with each trilon turning to show a historic clip before the "35th Anniversary" logo appears, with blank colored Wheel wedges behind it. The trilons continue turning until the Wheel of Fortune logo (adapted from the current board) appears and then fade out to the blue colors of unrevealed letters, then to the logos, then to the gray colors reminiscent to that of unrevealed letters from the old board before fading out, leaving the blank colored Wheel wedges. * The Toss-Up wipes revert to the Seasons 27-32 design. *A couple minor changes are made to the music package: **The opening theme before the "Wheel of Fortune" chant gets remixed to include guitar licks. **The remixed toss-up bed that was previously introduced during the second Disney Grand Adventures week in Season 34 is put permanently into use. * The ½ Car tags once again offer a Nissan Versa, except where noted. * The 80's once again becomes an active category. In addition, existing categories have "80's" appended to them throughout the season. * Starting this season, individual wrong-letter calls on Free Play are occasionally edited out even if they are not part of a "null" cycle. September 2017 * September 11 is Teacher's Week, taped July 27. During this week, after Round 1, the bumper features a quotation related to teaching or education, accompanied by a blue-tinted picture of the person who provided the quote (except on Friday, where a Chinese proverb is used instead). * On September 11: ** The Prize Puzzle offers a $10,392 trip to Jamaica. ** Round 4 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing? * On September 12, Pat references a cut "null" cycle by telling contestant Afiba that P has already been called, despite the original call being part of the cycle. * On September 13: ** The Prize is a $10,200 trip to Spain. ** Round 2 (The 80's) is the first appearance of a "decade" category since Season 32. * On September 14: ** What Are You Wearing? debuts in Round 2. ** While a "null" cycle is cut from the Speed-Up, there is another cut to Pat when contestant Kyle calls C, despite the puzzle having C in it. * On September 15: ** Six rounds are played. ** Interestingly, it appears that two consecutive "null" cycles occur in the Speed-Up, but only one of the two is edited out, as there is a jump cut to Pat after three consecutive wrong letters are called. ** There is a very rare instance of RSTLNE revealing more than half of the bonus puzzle (ANCIENT AZTECS). ** For only the seventh known time, a contestant calls Z in the Bonus Round. * During the week of September 11, for what may be the first time, no four-line puzzles (not counting Crossword Rounds) are used for the entire week. * September 18 is Bed & Breakfast Week, taped August 25. * On September 20: ** Character is used in the Bonus Round for the first time under its current name. This is also the category's first appearance there since May 2008. ** In the final segment, Pat reads a letter from a fan named Ellen Anderson. * On September 21: ** For the first time, the $10,000 Mystery Round bonus is awarded to a home viewer. If this happens, Jim says, "Did you just win $10,000? If this is your SPIN ID number, [number], congratulations, you've won $10,000 cash!" The first sentence also appears on-screen on a purple and yellow background, ending in a question mark matching the one on the Mystery wedges. The question mark then rolls to the left side of the screen to reveal the $10,000 side of the wedge as Jim says the second sentence, and the text "Go to wheeloffortune.com if this is your SPIN ID" then appears on the same background. ** For the first time this season, a category has "80's" added to it (80's Song Lyrics in Round 2). ** The Retro Bonus Round appears for only the first time this season, and it is one not previously used on this feature. ** Pat and Vanna read the Prize Puzzle copy, except for the value. ** What Are You Wearing? appears in the Bonus Round for the first time. ** There is a $100,000 loss. * September 25 is Fall Foliage Week, taped August 11. * On September 25: ** Two males play. ** For no particular reason, every overhead shot in Round 1 appears to have been recreated. This can be discerned by constant disappearances and changes in the Prize, Gift Tag, Wild Card, and/or Million-Dollar Wedge. * On September 28, contestant Mike solves the bonus puzzle PIZZA PARLOR on the buzzer. Although the win music plays and the answer is revealed, Pat says they will have to stop and make sure he got the answer in time. Instead of the closing chat, the show ends after Pat and Vanna announce that he has been declared a winner. As a result, Pat announces the amount instead of Jim. * On September 29: ** There is a ½ Car win. ** The third-place contestant has $11,000. ** In the Kitchen makes its first appearance in the Bonus Round since September 26, 2007. October 2017 * October 2 is Weekend Escapes, taped July 28. * On October 2, the show is pre-empted in many markets due to expanded evening news coverage of the Las Vegas shooting massacre. * On October 3: ** Six rounds are played. ** Thing appears in the Bonus Round for the first time this season. * On October 6, Vanna wears a shirt and pants. * October 9 is Salute to Texas, taped August 10. During this week: ** Each episode opens with a pre-recorded clip in which Pat and Vanna state that the episodes were taped prior to Hurricane Harvey, followed by a flashback clip from a previous Texas road show. ** The Prize is $10,000 cash. ** After Round 2, Pat, Vanna, and Jim promote next week's Show You the World Sweepstakes. ** The Texas Lottery's Wheel scratch-off game is promoted, but only Texas residents get the commercial promoting the game. * On October 9: ** The shot of the contestants during the opening is a reshoot, as the yellow arrow is on the yellow $600 in that shot, but the Wheel can be seen properly positioned during the interviews. ** One contestant (Brenna) wins all three Toss-Ups, and another (Sanders) wins all other rounds. * On October 10: ** Two males play. ** The $1,000 Toss-Up HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS! is inexplicably categorized as Quotation instead of Phrase. ** The Prize Puzzle offers a $10,064 trip to Fiji. * On October 11: ** Contestant Evan picks up a ½ Car tag in Round 3 after the other tag has been lost to Bankrupt. As a result, Pat has her immediately hand it to him. ** The Bonus Round puzzle has a redundant A in it (A HOUSEHOLD WORD). * On October 12, the Prize is not removed for Round 3. This ends up affecting the outcome, as the Prize is won in that round, and the contestant wins by less than its value. * On October 13: ** Rounds 1 and 4 are played entirely by the contestant who began them. ** The second-place contestant has $19,000. * All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of October 9, part of an eight-loss streak starting on the 5th. * October 16 is Collette Show You the World Week, taped September 15. During this week: ** The Collette logo is on the floor at center stage. ** Home viewers may submit each day's bonus puzzle on the show's website for a chance to win a Collette vacation. ** Many of the Prizes and/or Prize Puzzle trips are over $10,000. ** On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Pat and/or Vanna does a restrospective on a contestant who won a Collette vacation on a previous episode. * On October 16, after Round 2, there is a bumper consisting of travel tips given by a Collette representative. * On October 18: ** The Round 2 puzzle MY HEART GOING BOOM BOOM BOOM uses a hanging indent, so that the last three words are aligned directly underneath each other. ** Contestant Crystal wins the Mystery Round with only the $10,000 prize. ** The $2,000 Toss-Up and Bonus Round are Around the House. The latter is the category's first appearance there since January 2012. * On October 20, Rounds 1 and 3 are played entirely by the contestants who began them. * October 23 is Girlfriend Getaways, taped September 14. * On October 24: ** The Prize includes a director's cut DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack of the movie Dreamgirls, a trailer of which is also shown. ** The Retro Bonus Round is one not previously used on this feature. * On October 25, neither Thing nor Phrase is used. * On October 27: ** Vanna wears a sleeveless top and pants. ** A "null" cycle is not edited out of Round 1 (a wrong B, a Bankrupt that takes nothing away, and a wrong D). ** As the Prize Puzzle offers a trip to Puerto Rico, the copy is accompanied by a caption reading "Tonight's episode was taped prior to the recent hurricanes" and a graphic of the Puerto Rican flag. * October 30 is Halloween Week, taped August 24. During this week: ** The Season 28 Halloween Week intro is used. ** Jim introduces Pat and Vanna in a Dracula accent. ** The opening is shot in grainy black-and-white until Vanna walks to the puzzle board. ** At a random point during Round 1, a witch can be seen flying behind the puzzle board, complete with cackle. * On October 30: ** Rounds 2 and 3 are played entirely by the contestants who began them. ** Neither Thing nor Phrase is used. ** The second-place contestant has $21,892. * On October 31: ** Best Seller is used as a main game puzzle for the first time since April 22, 2011. ** What Are You Wearing? is used as a Prize Puzzle for the first time. ** Jim is shown on-camera after reading the Prize Puzzle copy. ** For the first time since the introduction of Crosswords, neither Same Name, Before & After, or Same Letter is used. November 2017 * On November 1, Rounds 3 and 4 are played entirely by the contestants who began them. * On November 2: ** In Round 2, contestant Cori solves the Crossword puzzle ARTHUR TUT STEPHEN KONG (in the category It's Good to Be King) and pronounces STEPHEN as "Stephan" instead of "Steven". This is accepted, and before Round 3, Pat explains that the puzzle could refer to either Stephen King, or to any of various kings named Stephen who pronounced it in the former fashion. ** Rounds 2, 3, and 4 are completely filled in before being solved. ** The closing chat is reshot due to Pat accidentally saying "it has been a great week, I’m sad to see it end" during the first chat despite it being a Thursday episode. * On November 3: ** Two contestants claim ½ Car tags in Round 3, rendering a car win impossible. ** There is a pan across the set after Round 3 which appears to have been added in post-production, as the puzzle board is blank. ** In the final segment, Vanna surprises Pat by offering him a fig pie. * November 6 is Veterans Week, taped September 13. * On November 6: ** Two males play. ** Six rounds are played. ** The winning contestant, who wins the Bonus Round, misses the $1,000,000 by only one envelope. * On November 7, there is a $100,000 loss. * On November 10: ** For no particular reason, Pat does not do most of the Final Spin explanation. ** There is a $100,000 loss. * November 13 is Disney Week, taped at Epcot Studios in Orlando. During this week: ** Grandparents and grandchildren play. ** There is a cold open: *** Monday: Sarge and the Green Army Men from Toy Story prepare the set. *** Tuesday: Vanna is eating an apple, and Pat asks if he can have one. Vanna says that she does not have one but "that woman behind me" does, after which Queen Grimhilde from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs offers Pat an apple. *** Wednesday: Snow White says that "someday I'll find my prince", and then passes up Pat while making the same remark again. *** Thursday: Vanna talks with a Disney representative named Lisa while walking through Disney's Holiday Services Warehouse and wonders where Pat is, followed by a cut to Pat tied up in a wreath, with Chip and Dale laughing. *** Friday: Various shots of Pat selling balloons. ** The title card features the traditional logo inside a Mickey Mouse head, followed by "35th Anniversary at Walt Disney World" wiping into place in white text on a blue background. The same "35th Anniversary" logo, with a traditional logo on either side, also appears on the scoreboards during the intro. Tinker Bell then appears as a wipe, followed by several pictures of Pat and Vanna at Walt Disney World. She then appears again as the wipe to Pat and Vanna's entry. Jim's intro is "And now, from Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, here are the stars of America's Game: Pat Sajak and Vanna White!" ** Disney characters escort Pat and Vanna onstage: Mickey and Minnie on Monday and Friday, Donald Duck and Goofy on Tuesday, Mickey and Goofy on Wednesday, Minnie and Donald on Thursday. ** The Prize is a Disney cruise, valued at $9,353, a rare instance of a Prize less than $10,000 on a team episode. Also, Vanna reads part of the copy. ** The Prize Puzzle offers a choice of one of fourteen Disney Vacation Club resorts, valued at $8,000. Vanna reads part of the copy. ** The category strip uses several varying animations during main-game rounds involving Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, Donald Duck and Goofy, or just Goofy, some of which involve the category strip moving. These are also not used during Crossword Rounds. A Mickey Mouse head with the traditional logo on it appears on the left side for the rest of the round. ** Despite the theme, no Disney-themed puzzles are used. However, several Christmas-themed puzzles are used despite the week airing before Thanksgiving. Also, the set decorations include Christmas presents. ** Pat and Vanna promote an attraction or event at Walt Disney World in the closing segment. * On November 13: ** There is a jump cut to Pat after the third turn of the Speed-Up despite no "null" cycle occurring, very likely due to all three teams accidentally calling more than one letter per turn. ** Pat and Vanna do the closing chat with four Walt Disney World cast members. * On November 15: ** For the second time, there is a $1,000,000 loss. ** Pat and Vanna do the closing chat with Brandon Peters, the 2017-18 Walt Disney World Resort ambassador. * On November 16, in the final segment, Ellen DiGiavonni prepares a gingerbread house for Pat and Vanna. * On November 17: ** As contestant Logan is wheelchair-bound, his grandmother spins for him. This is only the second known instance of a "designated spinner" during a team week. ** Round 3 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing? ** The bonus puzzle PROVIDING USEFUL ADVICE ties the third-longest known bonus puzzle to be used on the show, and the longest under three-and-a-vowel rules, at 21 letters. Interestingly, this answer is also longer than all but one main game puzzle. ** Pat and Vanna do the closing segment with several international representatives of Walt Disney World. * November 20 is America's Game. Despite this, every episode has a Thanksgiving-themed puzzle. Also, only two Crossword Rounds are done this week. * On November 20: ** The Prize is a shopping spree at The Company Store. ** The Round 1 puzzle IT'S JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY is inexplicably categorized as The 80's instead of 80's Song Lyrics. ** The Round 5 puzzle DOCTOR WATSON uses only one line. ** Same Name, Before & After, and Same Letter are not used despite no Crosswords being played. * On November 21: ** As it is the sixth episode of Salute to Texas, a Texas clip is shown during the intro, and the Prize is $10,000 cash. However, no Texas-themed puzzles are used. ** Round 4 is Person, and the Bonus Round is People. * On November 22: ** Against normal practice, the "only vowels remain" beeps are used in the Speed-Up. This is very likely due to the red contestant remaining silent after calling the last consonant. After this, the yellow contestant calls an O but remains silent, and the blue contestant solves without calling a letter. ** Round 4 and the Bonus Round are Fun & Games. * On November 24: ** Two males play. ** Jim is shown on-camera after reading the Prize Puzzle copy. ** For the first time, a category with an "80s" prefix is used in the Speed-Up. * November 27 is Great Outdoors, taped September 13. During this week: ** The Toss-Up music and dings malfunction and refuse to play, so the Toss-Ups are done in silence in-studio with the sounds added in post-production. Also, Pat has to look at the offscreen scoreboard to determine who has rung in. The music is fixed during the Thursday episode. ** The ½ Car is a Ford Fiesta. * On November 28: ** The $1,000 Toss-Up LOVELY WEATHER WE'RE HAVING ties the record for the longest known Toss-Up, at 23 letters. ** The Round 5 puzzle LASAGNA PAN is a very rare instance of a puzzle with only one vowel. * On November 29, the original Round 2 (ROCK CLIMBING AND RAPPELLING) is thrown out due to Pat and the board operators mishearing a call of T as P. This results in a very rare occurrence of two duplicate categories, as the replacement Round 2 and Round 5 are Phrase, while the $3,000 Toss-Up and Bonus Round are Living Thing. * On November 30: ** The Prize copy includes a trailer for Just Getting Started. ** A "null" cycle is not edited from the beginning of the Speed-Up. * Before & After and Same Name appear to go on hiatus around this point, as the former does not appear between November 22 and December 28, and the latter does not appear after November 29. December 2017 * All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of November 27, part of a seven-day streak beginning on November 27th. * December 4-15 is the Secret Santa Sweepstakes, taped November 9 and 10. Unlike previous seasons, both weeks feature only single players. During this week: ** During the first Secret Santa Sweepstakes week, the Gift Tag and Prize are $1,000 and $10,000 cash respectively, courtesy of the Wheel of Fortune Free Play app. The former is shaped like a smartphone. ** During the contestant interviews, the text "Have your SPIN ID ready. You could win whatever a contestant wins!" appears in silver next to a red "Secret Santa" bug. * On December 4: ** The $3,000 Toss-Up and Bonus Round are Event. ** Pat says "That buzzer sound a little sick?" during the Speed-Up, referencing the fact that the buzzer sounded distorted during the episode as-taped. Although the sound is fixed in post-production, his comment is left in. * On December 5: ** A Crossword Round is used as a Prize Puzzle for only the sixth time, and the first since October 10, 2016. ** There is an edit before contestant Nathan solves the Prize Puzzle. This is due to contestant Haley giving an incorrect answer and then arguing with Pat about it. ** The $3,000 Toss-Up and the Bonus Round are Around the House. The latter is an extremely rare instance of RSTLNE revealing more than half of the Bonus Round answer (BASKETS AND HAMPERS). * On December 6: ** Two males play. ** Before the closing segment is taped, several Sony staff members and crew from KABC appear onstage to celebrate the show's 35th Anniversary. KABC also shoots footage of a 35th anniversary video, which includes clips from the episode and a shot of the puzzle board reading WHEEL OF FORTUNE 35. ** Pat, Vanna, and Jim appear in the closing segment and eat a cake shaped like the two-row logo. * On December 7: ** Twelve wrong letters are called in the Speed-Up, including a streak of eight from which six are edited out, and a second "null" cycle which is not edited out. ** In the final segment, Pat and Vanna show a clip from the previous day's Speed-Up, in which Vanna touches a letter with each hand at the same time. * On December 8: ** Contestant Bobby is the founder of this Wiki. ** The Round 2 puzzle IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE is inexplicably categorized as Title instead of Movie Title. ** All of the puzzles are very short, with Round 3 being the longest at only 20 letters. ** Rounds 1 and 2 are played entirely by the contestants who began them. ** Round 3 and the Bonus Round are People. * During the week of December 4, for the first time, four Crossword Rounds are done in one week. * On December 12, after Round 2, Jim wishes everyone a happy Hanukkah. * On December 13: ** Two males play. ** Contestant Jeremie sweeps the game and wins $35,000 in the Bonus Round. This is also the first time that a male contestant has swept the game and won the Bonus Round since September 11, 2008. * On December 14: ** The Prize is a $10,408 tour of Alaska. ** Bankrupt is hit five times in a row in Round 1. * December 18 is Home for the Holidays, taped September 25. During this week: ** Members of the staff give holiday wishes to the viewers after Round 1 and before Round 3: *** Monday: producers and production department *** Tuesday: production staff and licensing/clearance department *** Wednesday: marketing/promotions/publicity and contestant department *** Thursday: art department and post-production department *** Friday: stage crew (done in front of the puzzle board, which reads HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2017) and Bob Ennis, Jim Thornton, and "all the subordinate clauses" ** On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Gift Tag is $1,000 cash courtesy of Melissa's Produce. * On December 18: ** The Prize is $6,000 cash, and its copy includes a trailer for The Star. ** Vanna reads the Prize Puzzle copy. ** Rounds 1 and 4 are played entirely by the contestants who began them. * On December 19, the Prize Puzzle copy includes a trailer for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. * On December 20, the second-place contestant has $20,150. * On December 21: ** The $1,000 Toss-Up MAPLE-GLAZED CHRISTMAS HAM is a tie for the longest known Toss-Up puzzle, at 23 letters. ** There is a ½ Car win. ** Round 3 and the Bonus Round are Fun & Games. ** For the third time, there is a $1,000,000 loss. The contestant would have set a new record of $1,032,100 had she solved. * On December 22, the Prize is a $6,000 shopping spree for The Company Store. * December 25 is Hawaii week, taped December 1. * On December 26, the winning contestant wins by $50, and has only $7,550 before the Bonus Round. * On December 27: ** Pat and Vanna read the Prize Puzzle copy. ** In the closing segment, Pat and Vanna show a clip of the "Who said anything about a horse?!" incident from November 10, 2014. * On December 28: ** The Retro Bonus Round is one not previously used on this feature. ** Against normal practice, the "only vowels remain" beeps sound in the Speed-Up. * 2017 is now the second calendar year in the show's history with no $100,000 wins. January 2018 * January 1 is America's Game. * On January 1, there is a $100,000 loss. * On January 2, Round 4 is an unusually short answer of OUT OF SIGHT!, which also uses only one line. This is all the more unusual as a fifth round is played. * On January 3, Round 4 and the Bonus Round are Place. * On January 4: ** As it is the sixth episode from the Swiss Holiday week of January 22: *** There is a cold open showing Pat and Vanna making cheese, and shots of Pat and Vanna in Switzerland appear during the intro. *** The Prize is a tour of Switzerland, Austria, and Bavaria, for which Pat and Vanna read part of the copy. ** Round 4 and the Bonus Round are What Are You Doing? * On January 5: ** Two males play. ** There is a $100,000 loss. * All five Bonus Rounds are lost on the week of January 1, part of a seven-day streak beginning on January 1. * January 8 is Disney Sea & Shore Week, taped November 30. During this week: ** There is a cold open: *** Monday: Vanna says "At sea and on shore..." and Pat continues, "America's Game is celebrating Disney vacations, starting now." *** Tuesday: Pat says "Exciting adventures are on the horizon." and Pat continues, "It's Disney Sea and Shore Week!" ** Married couples compete. ** The Prizes and Prize Puzzles are all Disney cruises and properties. Unusually for a team week, all are under $10,000. * On January 9, Round 1 and the Bonus Round are Food & drink. Category:Lists Category:Wheel of Fortune